Funding advances for New Orleans East Land Bridge restoration

A federal committee has recommended approving over $21 million for a project to create marsh land and stabilize the coastline on the New Orleans East Land Bridge to help combat the effects of land loss and rising sea levels.

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act’s technical committee has signed off on the funding, which still needs approval from the CWPPRA task force. The task force is expected to consider the matter in January.

The Land Bridge reduces the pressure that storm surge puts on the levees and infrastructure in the New Orleans area and provides a buffer to flooding for residents of Lake Catherine and along Chef Menteur Highway.

Funding for the project was announced in a news release from city officials on Thursday. The CWPPRA is a federal program that provides funding for planning and implementing projects that create, protect, restore and enhance wetlands in coastal Louisiana.